News WDW Resorts to add fees for parking

disney4life2008

Well-Known Member
Here's the thing...IF (and that's a big if) they roll out resort quality housekeeping and amenities then they should have coordinated that to roll out at the same time as this announcement. No one pays more now for a promise that future guests will benefit from these price hikes. Would you be OK paying $20,000 more a year for your kid's college because they say they might be expanding the campus sometime in the future? No! It has no benefit to your kid's education experience. So why would someone pay significantly more to park and stay at a Disney resort, receiving the same level of service they just got for free before? Disney hasn't even officially promised any upgrades, let alone Disney's propensity for canceling plans on a whim (MK Theater).

This is a poorly planned idea that a TON of people will not be OK with. This especially decreases the likelihood of FL residents staying at a Disney hotel. And how many more out-of-state guests are now going to leave the car at home, fly, and use Disney's already overwhelmed and aging mass transit systems? They are about to get even more crowded!

There's probably even more ripple effects that I can't think of right now...not good at all. It's definitely my last time staying at an on-site resort, and I have stayed a total of 18 nights at Disney resort hotels in the past 2 years; Poly, Caribbean, Old Key West, AK Lodge, and French Quarter. That's a lot of money for Disney to lose when I take my business elsewhere. Looks like the neighboring hotels are going to benefit most from this descision.

Agreed. I was actually considering staying at a resort in August i live in Orlando. I just wanted the experience. But I'm not paying for parking that is a waste of money. I might as well stay at home for free.
 

Sirwalterraleigh

Premium Member
Agreed. I was actually considering staying at a resort in August i live in Orlando. I just wanted the experience. But I'm not paying for parking that is a waste of money. I might as well stay at home for free.

You're not really the demographic they're concerned about...more like a statistical outlier.

Disney really only cares about the locals when there's an economic downturn and the high spending out of towners cut back.
 

VaderTron

Well-Known Member
Good. This is a HUGE problem at Animal Kingdom Lodge. Bunch of Cousin Eddies showing up every evening to gawk at the architecture and savannas. It's gauche.

Sorry to tell you, but none of this will be changing. Read the parking page. It still says you get complimemtary parking for shopping. So all you have to do is roll up to the gatehouse and say that you want to shop in the resort store and you can go park for free next to a guest who just dropped $20-$25 for the same spot...but also paid $200-$800 for one night to sleep there.

So the person who already dropped big bucks gets to pay for parking, while the "window shopper" and animal viewers (AKL) who don't spend a dime at the resort can park for free. Isn't that "magical"?
 

Keith2426

Active Member
As a big fan of WDW and someone who has made over forty visits to the kingdom from the New England area I’ve become well versed in Disney vacations. As a result I’ve helped dozens of friends and family plan their Disney vacations and I’ve always advocated for staying on property for the convenience and perks. Not anymore!
The perks and benefits of staying on property are gone and as sad as it is for me to say it is no longer worth staying on property. The nickel and diming has hit a new all time high with this new parking fee crap, while transportation services continue to decline and the perks disappear.
In my humble opinion the two biggest perks of staying on property were the night time extra magic hours, which have for the most part disappeared and the convenience of getting to the parks. The bus transportation service has declined and seems to be overwhelmed and can be a very time consuming process.
Maybe I’ve become very cynical in my old age and I’m resistant to change but the days of Disneyworld being a magical, special and unique place has disappeared.
The corporate greed has risen to new levels of absurdity. Ticket price increases one, sometimes twice a year, paying an upcharge for park hopping and no expiration tickets, paying extra to stay in the parks at night, closing the parks earlier and now parking fees.
I don’t care what everyone else in the industry is doing this is Disney, a place where things were supposed to be different, special and magical. Sorry for the rant but enough is enough. The constant decline of the special perks and increase of up charges everywhere you turn has forced this Disney fan to seek other vacation options.
 

Sirwalterraleigh

Premium Member
I feel like someone at the DC just thought one day to themselves, "Hmmmm. People aren't buying enough Star Wars merchandise. I know! Let's charge for parking."....

Believe it or not...it could be just as simple as that...

It's entirely about earnings per shares and walkaway profits...that's all. Not a great way to run a company built on legacy and emotional attachment
 

Tebo

Member
Is overnight parking allowed at Disney Springs? If so I see a whole bunch of people who drive down and stay for days to just leave their car there.
 

tissandtully

Well-Known Member
As a big fan of WDW and someone who has made over forty visits to the kingdom from the New England area I’ve become well versed in Disney vacations. As a result I’ve helped dozens of friends and family plan their Disney vacations and I’ve always advocated for staying on property for the convenience and perks. Not anymore!
The perks and benefits of staying on property are gone and as sad as it is for me to say it is no longer worth staying on property. The nickel and diming has hit a new all time high with this new parking fee crap, while transportation services continue to decline and the perks disappear.
In my humble opinion the two biggest perks of staying on property were the night time extra magic hours, which have for the most part disappeared and the convenience of getting to the parks. The bus transportation service has declined and seems to be overwhelmed and can be a very time consuming process.
Maybe I’ve become very cynical in my old age and I’m resistant to change but the days of Disneyworld being a magical, special and unique place has disappeared.
The corporate greed has risen to new levels of absurdity. Ticket price increases one, sometimes twice a year, paying an upcharge for park hopping and no expiration tickets, paying extra to stay in the parks at night, closing the parks earlier and now parking fees.
I don’t care what everyone else in the industry is doing this is Disney, a place where things were supposed to be different, special and magical. Sorry for the rant but enough is enough. The constant decline of the special perks and increase of up charges everywhere you turn has forced this Disney fan to seek other vacation options.
Please e-mail all of this to Guest relations. wdw.guest.communications@disneyworld.com
 

eliza61nyc

Well-Known Member
Does Universal charge to stay at their resorts? I heard mention that Disney claims they are just following "industry" practices. lol, meaning they found out Universal is making extra dough so the greedy little boys said why not.

Ok the last sentence was brought to you by me and not disney but hey I can speculate.
 

ford91exploder

Resident Curmudgeon
DVC studios are villas, even if that word isn't always used in the name, so no, you won't, SO LONG AS YOU'RE A DVC MEMBER. (And if you're already booked, you wouldn't pay in any case under the information that's been released so far. Disney's website also currently says that DVC members won't have to pay for parking even at other Disney World hotels, when they book those rooms using their points.)

Only a matter of time and clever lawyering before DVC members are paying for parking as well. Too much money left on the table.
 

Tebo

Member
These parking fees could be use to dissuade people from renting cars. No car means no going off property to eat or get grocerys or no going to other activities such as Legoland or Universal. Pretty soon they will have a policy stating that if you are staying on property you must remain on property the whole time. It is also a matter of time till the disallow taxi's and Uber from coming on property.
 

Lets Respect

Well-Known Member
Does Universal charge to stay at their resorts? I heard mention that Disney claims they are just following "industry" practices. lol, meaning they found out Universal is making extra dough so the greedy little boys said why not.

Ok the last sentence was brought to you by me and not disney but hey I can speculate.

Universal does charge for overnight parking.

However, they also require validation at one of the table service restaurants to get free parking if you are just visiting a resort. If you don't get that, you pay the fee too. That seems more fair to me
 

seascape

Well-Known Member
Disney should build a parking lot at Flamingo Crossing and charge $5.00 a day with one free roundtrip bus ride to your hotel. Then if you need to get your car to go somewhere you can but you would not use it to get around the property. It would allow everyone to save money and provide an option to everyone.
 

ford91exploder

Resident Curmudgeon
The “ THIS IS It “ cry that they are done. Next day, when are we going to WDW???

No,
That’s the only way to create change.. and I don’t see it happening. I think people are being over dramatic, everyone keeps stating “It’s the Principle!” but yet they’ll keep going..
Which is exactly why Disney knows they can do it.

I know a couple of people who have cancelled their WDW vacations and are going to Europe/Costa Rica instead. And they are saving THOUSANDS !!!!,

This may indeed be the straw that breaks the camels back.
 

tissandtully

Well-Known Member
Disney should build a parking lot at Flamingo Crossing and charge $5.00 a day with one free roundtrip bus ride to your hotel. Then if you need to get your car to go somewhere you can but you would not use it to get around the property. It would allow everyone to save money and provide an option to everyone.
I'm sure someone with lots of capital is planning this right now. Though I don't know if Disney would allow it at Flamingo Crossing as they own most of it.
 

Tebo

Member
Disney should build a parking lot at Flamingo Crossing and charge $5.00 a day with one free roundtrip bus ride to your hotel. Then if you need to get your car to go somewhere you can but you would not use it to get around the property. It would allow everyone to save money and provide an option to everyone.

I think I will go buy an empty lot nearby off property and start to offer a parking with shuttle service at half the rate disney will charge.
 

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